Published Paper Details:

High-strength steel is susceptible to fatigue damage during service, which alters its internal microstructure and subsequently affects its mechanical performance. This study explains the related damage mechanisms in high-strength steel, presents a methodical comparison of conventional fatigue and pre-fatigue, and describes how to assess pre-fatigue situations in order to better comprehend these impacts. Additionally, it looks at how pre-fatigue affects hysteresis behavior, static tensile characteristics, and overall fatigue performance. A technique to evaluate the mechanical performance of high-strength steel that has had pre fatigue damage is suggested based on these observations. The findings show that pre-fatigue causes microstructural changes that hasten the development of early-stage damage. This reduces yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and ductility when loaded. It also promotes earlier fracture initiation and faster crack propagation, which ultimately shortens fatigue life. Pre-fatigue also reduces the material's ability to dissipate hysteretic energy in steel structures that already exist. In order to support deeper understanding and future developments in this field, the study finally expands its analysis to the post-pre-fatigue mechanical response of high strength steel, taking into account the combined influence of environmental conditions, machine learning-based damage evaluation approaches, and multi-scale, interdisciplinary analysis.